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Sept. 30, 2013

Bryan Lima has seen his share of ups and downs while at Virginia. The redshirt junior from Boca Raton, Fla., appeared in eight matches as a freshman in 2010 but tore his ACL prior to the 2011 season. He returned and saw limited action in 2012 but has been a key contributor off the bench this season. He scored his first goal since the 2010 season on Sept. 13 at Wake Forest and has infused the Cavaliers’ offense with some bursts of energy when he has entered games. He took time after a recent training session to discuss his season to this point as well as a variety of other things.

What is your role on the team?
Lima:
I think my role on the team as a forward is to score goals. The coaches brought us here because we had talent and they saw potential for us to score goals in college. We are here to score and to put as much pressure on the defense as possible.

How is your playing time different this season than last season?
Lima:
Last year I was coming back from my ACL injury and it was a roller coaster for me. I had confidence issues. It wasn’t just my knee sometimes. But the coaches kept confidence in me and I was confident in myself. Eventually the ball started rolling in my favor and things started to work out for me.

Describe your goal against Wake Forest (a 180 which he tapped in with back of foot).
Lima:
That goal was something I tried against Rutgers and I messed up and everybody got on me. I still had confidence in myself though and tried it again this time and it worked out. Wake has been a good rivalry lately. It has been a rivalry for me and it was really good to score against them.

Describe your knee injury and the rehab process.
Lima:
I tore my ACL right before the preseason. It was a really hard time for me, but the coaches made an effort to keep me as part of the team and family. That really helped me out psychologically. I worked it out for eight months. In the training room, you can feel really alienated, but the guys stayed with me and made sure I was part of the team. It gave me something to look forward to. Also, Eric Bird and Will Bates helped me out because they went through the same thing.

What do you try to do as a veteran?
Lima:
When I came here, I looked up to Will Bates and Brian Ownby. Whatever they taught me, I try to pass onto Darius Madison and Jordan Allen. It could be little things like saying “a certain defender likes to do this.” I sometimes work out with guys after practice and give them advice. I also make sure they have confidence in themselves. These guys have a lot of talent and high hopes, so I am just trying to help them out.

What is your major and what do you want to do after graduation?
Lima:
I am majoring in Foreign Affairs right now. I have my fifth year of eligibility so I may try to push the real world back for an extra year. I am still looking into it and have been really busy. I haven’t really been looking for jobs, but I guess now is the time when I need to start.

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